After 9 Months With My 2024 Toyota Prius, I'm Getting 90 MPG on Maui Hills, But These Window Switches Are Driving Me Crazy, Here's What Toyota Got Right and Wrong

There was a time when “Prius” was less a nameplate and more a cultural signal, a fluorescent-green flag waved by the eco-conscious, city-commuting elite. It stood not so much for a car as it did for a mindset, one that many enthusiasts loved to hate. But that’s old news. The 2024 Toyota Prius, the fifth-generation XW60, has quietly shed its Birkenstock image and emerged as something far more nuanced. It’s still frugal, still obsessed with efficiency, but it’s no longer the rolling punchline it once was. It’s a real car now. And the funny thing is, it might be one of the best-realized Toyotas of the past decade.

In a refreshingly candid forum post on PriusChat, one owner, “futurist,” a former endurance motorcycle racer and Civic Sport driver, lays it bare: 

“Hey all -- sorry I haven't been posting or logged in of late -- life and all.

Here to post impressions of the '24 XW60 purchased last August... pardon rehashing old news, just my exp.

There are quite a few things about the 5th-gen Prius, an owner new to Toyota hybrids will have to figure out from the jump. Knew this, so figured I'd just keep a log of interesting details about long-term ownership (if less than 1 yr can be considered 'long-term')... but I'll be moving my business here soon so thought I'd post up before I'd be too busy again to give y'all a proper annual report.

Some background: over 50, ex-mechanic, ex-moto endurance racer & sportbike commuter 20 yrs. Owned 3 Toyotas, 2 Hondas, 2 Fords, 3 Yamaha and 3 Suzuki sportbikes... but zero hybrids -- am pat-newb to them. Would never have owned any Prius prior to this XW60, as have test-driven 3rd- and 4th-gen and found them unable to get out of their own way. Not so this 5th-gen...

Pros:

- Have seen almost 90 mpg on some p2p sorties here on Maui, including climbing hills

- The sheer torque from this little drivetrain still impresses after 3/4 of a year, esp 50 - 70 passing

- This hybrid handles as good if not better than my last ride, a 10th-gen Honda Civic Sport (and that was easily one the best car chassis I'd driven in years; light-years beyond the crappy 7th-gen I had). On stock Toyos at that

- Very, very good chassis stiffness, with/ both axles very obviously working together to maximise limited tire contact patch. The last Toyota with a sporty bent I'd owned was an '03 Matrix XRS... and XW60 made that feel like a C4 Corvette

- the LE trim with wheel covers / 17", is proving to be the hot combo -- cheapest trim, and highest mpg rating on the Monroney's a full 5 mpg below what I routinely get, measuring fuel going in at fillup (the dash readout's 2 mpg pessimistic -- is right now reading 60.4 with this island full of Zoomer drivers speeding everywhere). Tires are rare and pricey for what they are... but also pretty competent, if not exactly sporty

- The seats are amazingly supportive for what they are, and what car they're installed in

- Changing oil in this car is very easy and also less frequent. Oil filters are pretty reasonable from the dealer, so get them there -- a big deal on everything’s  30% higher in Maui.

Cons (a longer list than I expected, tbh):

[with utmost respect to a marque I consider one of the best in the world for an ordinary schlub like me to buy a vehicle from... these are feelings about the nagging truths behind rushing designs into production:]

- Someone asked the junior engineer who signed off on these stupid window lift switches and their non-function. I exercise my lift motors daily, as here the salt air will corrode your lift motors and mechanisms unless you regularly fully lower and raise the glass. Every 3rd time, they simply don't respond, which seems completely random. No problem in the Civic doing this all 5 yrs of ownership... but in this Prius, lowering both rear windows and front windows alternately seems to baffle the circuit board in the armrest. Annoying showstopper

- And while you're at it, fire the idiot who placed the driver's washer nozzle behind the cantilevering passenger wiper's 'pumpkin', so the nozzle spray hits it rather than your windshield, until it cantilevers out of the way

- For such a useful control, the mode switch is nearly impossible to feel for, if you need to switch modes under pressure, like seeing a passing opportunity. Taking eyes off the road to look for this switch means it needs to be beside or on the shifter, not behind it (or otherwise better located for haptics -- like on the steering wheel)

- Handwash my Prius every weekend. Can someone tell me why water wiped fully from the rest of the bodywork, waits until I've opened the hatch to empty a full cup onto the LR corner of the car, ten drips at a time? (found a partial solution: use a mini-blower to shove the water back into the hatch, where it exits in slightly better places. Only happens on the L side of the hatch, and blowing it back in only means it'll come out through the 4 rubber plugs in the latch area, and splash over your bumper after shutting it. I did say 'partial')

- Like others have mentioned here, your mileage can vary wildly. I've seen 99 mpg on the regular, but also 21 mpg if I'm careless

- If you don't like being surveilled, and your driving is reported to your insurance company... don't own a new Toyota. Even after opting out of all the data sharing provided in the Toyota app, my insurance still went up 20% a couple of months ago. If it's not Toyota, it could be a device installed by the dealer in all their inventory. Both scenarios have happened to other owners around the country, apparently

- Why do I have to manually select the Energy Flow screen with/ two capacitive (non-tactile) button presses, every time the car's started? Can't there be an option to choose that screen as your default? Esp when I'm in a rush, again taking my eyes off the road to put the screen I use most to cater driving to, is just plain silly and entirely avoidable with/ software

- Gripe limited to here on Maui: the car gets amaaazing mpg, under 53 mph, and over 59 mph. Take a guess as to what range of speeds traffic here enforces the most

- engine air filters..., they're pricey -- and the NAPA Gold ones aren't any cheaper.

What I've learned:

- Any Prius newb will be drilled in 'pulse and glide'. This tends to work well when in Normal mode, but much less so in Eco mode, ime. Highway, just rely on the s/w to decide when to switch to EV operation -- it's pretty good at it. If your ego isn't made of glass, with all the first-car kids in Tiguans and K5s doing 40 over around you... Just relax and follow the little animated guide in the dash (where the Start / Cruise / Stop screen is). As before, almost 90 mpg on a real, many-modes, many-speeds-and-loads, 15-mile stint here. And I know even for that high point, it could've gone even higher

- The XW60 does love 89 octane fuel vs. 87. I know the whole point of owning a Prius is low cost of operation... but if that fuel choice results in less protection for your spinning oily parts after it's paid off... plus returns routinely worse response and highway fuel economy (still 40% of my commutes)... then why not use it? It's literally < $20 more a month for 89 (I refuel 2 - 3x /mo, every 11 - 12 days or 360+ mi)

- Tip: if you want to cool the interior air so the battery gets cool air earlier, crack the windows on startup so the hot air can escape, switch to Normal Mode until your forehead's cool as your setting, then roll up your windows and switch back to Eco, to enter the A/C's Eco mode for the rest of your drive.

- My tires are run at 37 F / 39 R. Have gone all over the dial looking for the best compromise of handling, ride, and mpg... and that was it

- I seriously have no idea why this Prius' steering wheel gets so much flak -- it's one of the easiest to use control buttons on, of any I'd used. But with the 'joystick' pad on the L wheel spoke... make sure to press fully L/R/U/D and not diagonally at all -- many times getting distracted being on a screen I didn't choose, until exercising some discipline

- This is not a sports car -- your supply of battery instant torque needs filling up before you can enjoy it again, so don't treat it like those ICE-onlys, who can hold max acceleration far longer than you. The chassis' competence and that addictive off-bottom response can easily fool you into thinking it is... but it defo performs its prime function better, if you drive it like you're actually concerned about fuel economy. It's still a hoot to drive even on the boring daily grind, because when an economy car can do stuff within that mpg-centric driving style -- like Toyotas used to do in the '80s and early '90s -- it's still fun. Just grown-up fun. I, myself, over 50 hopefully have finally given up my moto-curated speed fix to enjoy, sustainably

---

If you bothered to read to the end, thanks, fellow Prius-faithful. Yeah, there are lots of things I get hot about (like the rear door latches that didn't need to be electronic and delayed buying mine 5 mos... or the fact the dealer still hasn't gotten me my spare fob... or that the dealer may've installed a GPS snitch without my knowledge) about the car and the dealer exp that could be better... but they're sort of nitpicks that all kind of stand to the side, when I used to refuel every 4 days, and now every 12. Even the dealer exp has been pretty damned good (esp vs. the slimy Honda and Nissan dealers) and far above expectations.

Be back after my life puddle settles a bit...” 

The Gen 5 Prius feels properly sorted. “Handles as good if not better than my last ride, a 10th-gen Civic Sport,” futurist claims, and that’s no small compliment from a driver with real seat time. The steering, long maligned in previous generations, is now direct and communicative enough to make you forget you're in an economy car. The chassis is stiffer, the center of gravity is lower, and the entire platform just feels more grown-up. “Very, very good chassis stiffness,” he says, “with both axles obviously working together.” And while the stock Toyo tires are still more eco than ego, the fundamentals are solid. Toyota didn't just slap new sheet metal on the old hybrid; this thing is engineered to drive.

2026 Toyota Prius: Hybrid Legacy & Market Impact Trends

• Launched in 1999, Prius led the hybrid revolution and secured an early, dominant position, capturing over half of hybrid sales in the early 2010s, while rivals like Honda lagged
• Buyers accepted compromises in cost and performance to visibly signal eco-conscious values, helping Prius become synonymous with green driving
• Known for reliability, longevity, and fuel economy, Prius consistently scores high in owner satisfaction and retains value well
• Celebrity use and pop-culture presence made Prius an icon, especially the second-generation model, which became both a status and an eco statement

That said, it’s not without its quirks. The same owner spends a fair bit of time griping about the infuriatingly intermittent window switches. 

Every third time, they simply don’t respond. There’s also a washer nozzle that hits the wiper arm instead of the windshield, and a drive mode switch buried so deep in the center console it might as well be in a Tokyo subway locker. 

Toyota Prius Quirks & Owner Frustrations

These are not fatal flaws, but they chip away at the day-to-day satisfaction. “Annoying showstopper,” he calls the switch issue. Add to that some overzealous water drainage design near the hatch and non-intuitive infotainment defaults, and you’ve got a car that, while fundamentally solid, still trips over the occasional avoidable oversight.

But that’s the deal with the Prius: you accept some quirks in exchange for unmatched efficiency. And unlike the gas guzzlers bellowing through freeway lanes in search of validation, Prius owners have a different goal. They’re playing a different game. Hyper-efficient driving is not about ego. It’s about strategy. “If your ego isn't made of glass… just relax and follow the little animated guide,” futurist writes. He tracks tire pressures (37 psi front, 39 rear), times his mode switching based on A/C load, and more.

Toyota Prius Data Tracking & Insurance Privacy Concerns

Then there’s the digital elephant in the room, data tracking. Despite opting out of Toyota’s data-sharing platform, the futurist saw his insurance spike 20% a few months after buying the car. Whether the culprit was Toyota, a third-party dongle installed by the dealer, or some new form of black-box monitoring, it’s a disturbing trend. Yet he doesn't let it spoil the show. “They're sort of nitpicks that all kind of stand to the side, when I used to refuel every 4 days, and now every 12.” Perspective matters. This isn't a perfect car, but it is incredibly competent, and when judged on its core mission, it borders on brilliant.

2026 Toyota Prius Sales Growth & Market Surge Analysis

• As of April 2016, the Prius nameplate accounted for nearly 2 million sales in the U.S., making it the top-selling hybrid with about 40–48 % of total hybrid sales
• Prius family sales surged in 2012, reaching 223,905 units (market share ~51 %), and total hybrid sales peaked at ~500,000 units in 2013
• In Q1 2024, Prius sales jumped 138.6% year-over-year to 13,327 units; projections estimate 50–55k units sold for the year, the best since 2017
• Toyota’s electrified vehicles hit record U.S. annual sales in 2024 (~1 million total), with Prius showing a 17.5% increase over 2023.

In colder climates, the Gen 5 has continued to defy expectations. Paul Gregory, a Prius Prime XSE owner up in Alberta, reports that his EV range hasn’t degraded one bit after a brutal -25°C winter. “It has already charged to 38 miles several times,” he says, exceeding his first-year numbers. That kind of durability, in a car that starts under $30K and routinely gets 50–60 mpg without breaking a sweat, is what makes the Prius such a benchmark. Battery longevity is no longer a theoretical gamble; it’s proving out in the field.

The 2024 Prius doesn't need to be exciting to be exceptional. It’s a refinement of everything Toyota does well: reliability, value, and intelligent engineering. It’s also, finally, a Prius you can drive without apology. You don’t need to preach or posture or defend your lane position to every tailgating Camry doing 90. You just have to keep going, quietly, efficiently, and with the knowledge that in a world obsessed with speed and spectacle, sometimes the smartest move is the one that uses the least fuel.

Image Sources: Toyota Media Center

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.